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Countries to continents, he's all over the map

With school win, Overlook sixth-grader moves to state round of National Geographic Bee

By Rebecca Leonard, rleonard@sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
01/16/2016 09:44:25 AM EST

ASHBURNHAM -- A sixth-grade student at Overlook Middle School competed against five other students Friday for the chance to participate in the state National Geographic Bee.

"This is great for the kids. It's a friendly competition, but it's also educational," said Brett Duncan, who teaches ancient civilizations at Overlook Middle School.

Sam Russo, one of Duncan's students, won the final round of the school competition and now moves on to the statewide competition of the the 28th annual National Geographic Bee.

Sam competed against eighth-grade students Nick Fowler and Olivia Boucher, seventh-grade students Michael Smith and Connor Williams, and fellow sixth-grader Livy Tabor to answer questions on geography around the world.

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"It feels very good," said Sam about his victory.

Sam said he studied for months for two hours every day to prepare for his victory.

After months of studying, Sam now has the opportunity to participate in the state National Geographic Bee, which begins April 1. If he wins at the state level, the National Geographic Society will provide an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national championship rounds in May.

If Sam were to win the championship, he would receive a $50,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the society and a National Geographic trip to a national park in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.

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"These competitions give (the students) a chance to show off what they know," said Duncan.

Duncan moderated the competition, explaining the rules and how the competitors would be scored.

In the first round of the Bee, Sam and his peers answered questions focused on the geography of the United States.

In the next round contestants were asked to write their answers down and answer the question at the same time. At the end of the round, Olivia and Livy were eliminated.

Heidi Williams congratulates her son Connor after he finished third in the National Geographic Bee.
SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / ASHLEY GREEN

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Contestants were given a map of the national water trails in the third round and asked to identify which state bordered a specific river. Answering incorrectly for the second time, Nick was then eliminated.

The remaining contestants answered the fourth-round question correctly, but in the fifth round Connor was eliminated and Sam and Michael moved on to the championship round.

Both were asked three questions and on the final question, they were asked to identify which country held the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Michael wasn't able to answer the question, leaving Sam, who answered "Canada" correctly, as the winner.

Sam said he's going to try to participate in the state competition and said he plans on taking part in the school round for the next two years.

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